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A WORD FROM YOUR PASTOR

A WORD FROM THE PASTOR… The pastor is on vacation and attending the NAC in Anderson, IN. We present this article written by one of our Elders, Doris Parnel. THRILLED! by Doris Parnel “The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. “ Psalm 37:11, NKJV Using this scripture in his devotional book “Everyday Blessings”, Max Lucado writes: “The meek are those who are willing to be used by God. Amazed that God would save them, they are just as surprised that God could use them. They are the junior-high clarinet section, playing with the Boston Pops. They don’t tell the maestro how to conduct, they’re just thrilled to be part of the concert. Are we meek and willing to be used by God, amazed that God would save us, surprised that God could use us, thrilled to be a part of the concert (Church)? Are we excited knowing that God lives in us and are we bringing our church together in our willingness to understand our diversities, differences, opinions and ways of doing things? Are we excited to worship and praise God on Sunday mornings, to hear His Word, joyfully singing songs of praise and listening with anticipation to what God is telling us through the Pastor’s message? I understand you weren’t expecting a questionnaire but, hopefully, it might be a good idea to do some reevaluating of our walk with the Lord and receive some Biblical encouragement. God chose us to be His own special people! “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9,10 NKJV God not only called us to be His children but also to be His Church. (Of Peter, God said, “Upon this rock I will build my church”.) God established His Church, the Bride of Christ, and we are a small part of His Church that encompasses and includes the whole world of Christians. God sees our differences. He wants us to keep our eyes totally on Him (let Him handle the differences) so we can do our part in building up His Church and we do so by recognizing our part in reaching out in love to others in His world. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt. 28:19,20 NIV Are we freely accepting God’s love, peace, joy, forgiveness, mercy and grace to live the joyful life He desires to give us? Or are we bogged down by carrying guilt, bad attitudes, bossiness, hanging on to hurts, worry and having judgmental condemnation: all things God wants to deliver us from. God is so generous and yet sometimes it doesn’t seem like we take God seriously and act like Christians because He not only has something for us to do but expects us to do it. The “gifts” God has given all of us are to be used. If you are not sure of your gifts ask Pastor Marc and he will help you with some resources to begin to seek and discern the wonderful, unique ways God has created you. God has surprises for us we never dreamed of so we need to diligently study what the Bible is telling us, stay faithful in prayer, fellowship and witnessing.** Being a Christian is not a casual “walk in the park”! It is a life that is a vital part of living “in” this world but not “of” this world. “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:17 With God living in our hearts we can live freely as He leads us through the ups and downs of our daily lives. He knows us better than we know ourselves and His desire is for us to know him so intimately that He flows through our speech, our actions and our being a blessing to others. He gives us a joy-filled life when we relinquish our will to His. The more we study His Word the more we understand Him and know Him. Prayer: Lord, we thank you for sending Jesus. We thank you for choosing us as your own and we are honored to be called Children of God. We thank you for all the many, many blessings you have given us and thank you for being our most merciful and gracious God. Please renew us by instilling the thrill of your love in our hearts so we live our lives joyously as you want us to. Help us accept our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus with unconditional love in the way that pleases you. Help each one of us see our part in our church and in the spreading Your Gospel as we generously give of our time and finances to our Church and our missionaries around the world. Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayer. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen. *Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory Lord of love; Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, Opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness: Drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day! Thou art giving and forgiving. Ever blessing, ever blest. Well-spring of the joy of living, Ocean depth of happy rest. Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, All who live in love are Thine. Teach us how to love each other, Lift us to the joy divine. * Singing this song in a joyful up-beat tempo will give you a lift! ** If you are uncomfortable when you read or hear the word “witness” may I suggest that you will have a much more comfortable understanding of the word after taking the series of classes offered by Pastor Marc called “Caring Evangelism”. It is definitely a “spiritual growth” class! J